Caring Homes Leadership Academy Launches Pilot Programme, ‘Leading With Vision’
Caring Homes Leadership Academy Launches Pilot Programme, ‘Leading With Vision’
We’re proud to share news of our brand-new Leadership Academy – an exciting milestone in our commitment to developing and empowering our people – and the successful delivery of the Academy’s pilot programme, Leading with Vision.
Developing Leadership Role Models Across Our Homes
Leading with Vision is a 7-week development programme designed to build confidence, compassion and purpose through engaging, practical learning sessions. Shaped around Caring Homes’ values - Caring, Open, Accountable, One Team, and Extraordinary – the programme covers a new module each week, focusing on a different aspect of leadership linked to these values.
Leading with Vision will help us develop our own future leaders and role models, ensuring that strong, values-led leadership is the standard across Caring Homes.
Learning Reinforced With Practical, On-The-Job Activities
Our first cohort included 61 learners from across the Caring Homes group — a mix of Deputy Managers, Home Managers, Nurses, and Senior Team Leaders.
Each phase of the programme was delivered in bite-sized recap sessions, and these sessions were reinforced with practical, on-the-job activities designed to embed what had been learned into everyday practice. In this way, new skills and behaviours were naturally brought into play in each individual’s day-to-day role.
Key areas covered during our first 7-week programme included:
- Understanding the leader’s role as the “heartbeat” of the home
- Developing self-awareness, team awareness, and the ability to adapt leadership style
- Understanding how practical time management tools can help leaders focus on what matters most – residents and people
- Building confidence in coaching so teams can be developed
- strengthening judgement and decision-making so issues can be addressed early, respectfully and calmly
- Celebrating growth, embedding habits and setting future leadership goals.
We were keen to encourage all our learners to reflect on their own personal leadership style, identify their own strengths and think about the areas they wanted to develop. To help with this, everyone completed a reflective journal throughout their learning journey where they recorded insights, challenges and achievements as they progressed through each module.
Reflective Presentations & Leadership Practice
As part of completing the programme, all our learners delivered a 10-minute reflective presentation to their Line Managers, Regional Managers, and members of the Senior Leadership team. They also submitted a one-page reflective statement capturing what they learned, how their practice has changed, and the initiatives they plan to lead within their homes.
These presentations highlighted not only personal growth, but also real, practical leadership development. Many learners shared how the skills they gained such as coaching, clearer communication, and handling issues earlier will directly benefit colleagues and, in turn, enhance resident wellbeing through calmer, more consistent and person-centred shifts.
Impact & Benefits
Our learners also offered advice for future cohorts, highlighting the value and confidence they gained, and some of these comments show a real shift in their approach to leadership:
“I’ve used the Iceberg Model to understand what’s beneath behaviour – it changed a difficult conversation.” — Catherine Birrell, Laverstock
“I start every shift checking in with my team, setting expectations, and recognising good practice.” — Zhongmin Zhang, The Manor
“I now delegate with confidence and use coaching instead of instructing.” — Kezie Brown-Stanislaus, Laverstock
“I handled a family complaint using the ETC model – calmly and clearly, with trust restored.” — Thandiwe Lunga, Homefield Grange
“Leaders speak last – and that’s made me a better listener.” — Mercy Mwai, Broadbridge Park
Reflecting on the pilot programme, Caring Homes Talent Development Manager, Lucy Hoddy, said, “We couldn’t be prouder of our first cohort and we’re already feeling the impact of ‘Learning with Vision’ across all our regions”.
Lucy added, “The Leadership Academy is about more than training. It’s about investing in our people - helping them feel confident, capable, and inspired to lead with heart and purpose. When our leaders thrive, our teams flourish, and our residents feel the difference every single day”.
